Maoist leader from Jharkhand held in Kerala’s Pantheerankavu

KOZHIKODE: A Maoist leader, Ajay Oraon, was arrested from a migrant labourers' camp in Pantheerankavu, Kozhikode on Tuesday by the Pantheerankavu police, after receiving a tip- off. Ajay is a native of Jharkhand and is the zonal commander of the People's Liberation Front of India (PLFI), a militant Maoist outfit formed in Jharkhand in 2007. There are two cases against Ajay in Jharkhand for burning road construction materials and distributing pamphlets of PLFI.

The accused was arrested based on the information provided by the Jharkhand Police. He was hiding in a camp of labourers from other states in Kaimbalam for one and a half months as a construction worker."After 2019, he visited Kozhikode four times. The accused came to Pantheerankavu one month ago.

He was living here under many fake names like Ajaykanth, Dhanjay, etc. There are two cases against the accused in Jharkhand. Ajay has also served 11 months in jail in a case under the Arms Act,"a police official said.

The Jharkhand police had been searching for Ajay as part of their operations against Maoists in the state. They traced his mobile phone tower location to Kozhikode and with the help of the Pantheerankavu police, found the migrant labour camp where he was hiding. Ajay was interrogated by the Kerala-Jharkhand police team and the Central Intelligence Bureau.

A three-member team from Jharkhand police reached Kozhikode, and the Kerala police handed over the accused to them.

It is being investigated whether Ajay had any local help while absconding.

The initial conclusion is that he has no connection with Maoists in Kerala.